Vagrancy (biology)
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Vagrancy is a phenomenon in
Birds
In the Northern Hemisphere, adult birds (possibly inexperienced younger adults) of many species are known to continue past their normal breeding range during their spring migration and end up in areas further north (such birds are termed spring overshoots).
In autumn, some young birds, instead of heading to their usual wintering grounds, take "incorrect" courses and migrate through areas which are not on their normal migration path. For example, Siberian
Other birds are sent off course by storms, such as some North American birds blown across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Birds can also be blown out to sea, become physically exhausted, land on a ship and end up being carried to the ship's destination.
While many vagrant birds do not survive, if sufficient numbers wander to a new area they can establish new populations. Many isolated oceanic islands are home to species that are descended from landbirds blown out to sea, Hawaiian honeycreepers and Darwin's finches being prominent examples.
Insects
Vagrancy in insects is recorded from many groups—it is particularly well-studied in
Mammals
In mammals, vagrancy has been recorded for bats, pinniped seals, whales, manatees, belugas, cougars, and more.[citation needed]
Reptiles
Vagrancy has been recorded for
Plants
The term vagrant is also used of plants (e.g. Gleason and Cronquist, 1991), to refer to a plant that is growing far away from its species' usual range (especially north of its range) with the connotation of being a temporary population. In the context of lichens, a vagrant form or species occurs unattached to a substrate ("loose"), not necessarily outside its range.[7]
Another definition (de Lange & Molloy, 1995) defined vagrant species in New Zealand flora – although could also be applied for any given region. Their definition was, "taxa whose presence within the New Zealand botanical region is naturally transitory... those which have failed to establish themselves significantly beyond their point of introduction through reproductive failure or for quite specific ecological reasons.".[8] One example was the presence of Atriplex cinerea in New Zealand.
References
- PMID 30595974.
- ^ "Vagrancy in Birds".
- ISSN 1466-8238.
- ISSN 0307-8698.
- ISBN 0-00-219976-9.
- .
- ^ Rosentreter, R. & McCune, B. 1992. "Vagrant Dermatocarpon in Western North America". The Bryologist. 95:15–19.
- ^ de Lange, P. J.; Molloy, B. P. J. (1995). "Vagrancy within New Zealand orchids: what are the conservation priorities?". New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter. 40: 13–14.